Hell is over
by irinkasorinka
Summary: Klaus is waging war in New Orleans when Caroline comes to him with "a real crisis on her hands" and asks for help. As a long forgotten nightmare rises again they have to fight for their lives and solve their trust issues. The story takes place after Klaus and Rebekah were kidnapped.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: all characters belong to their creators.**

**It might take a few chapters for Klaus and Caroline to meet. First they will have to solve some problems on their own. Enjoy!**

**Chapter 1.**

She opens her eyes.

The plaster on the ceiling has grown damp and cracked, a huge piece of it, covered in dirty gray stains, is now hanging over her head.

Rebekah is lying on a hard hospital bed, which seems to have been brought here right after the end of World War I.

Neither her legs nor her hands are chained, she can still move and even her back doesn't hurt that much.

'I guess I'm being lucky after all. But it's high time I left this _very friendly looking_ place'.

She vamp speeds towards one of the two doors, making no sound at all, and clenches her teeth – the room is spinning, her legs burst with pain and she can barely keep herself from screaming. Well, five werewolf bites – not something that happens to you every day.

Rebekah turns the table over, all medical instruments – she prefers not to think of them as of _torture_ devices – roll on the floor, and she easily brakes off the wooden leg. Not a proper stake, of cause, but that'll do for now. She squeezes it in her left hand – the other one is hardly functional with a bloody wound spreading on her forearm.

A quick glance around is enough to understand that she'll have to get out of here as a polite person, through the door. Even if these damned witches didn't put protective spells on the windows, the bars are still too firm for her to brake free.

The opens the door and rushes in the corridor, holding her breath. She has to get out before the hallucinations begin to appear. She has to warn her brothers. She has to come back here later and slowly tear these witches apart limb by limb – sure their heads will add extra charm to her bedroom. She has to…

She doesn't make it in time. Genevieve – a witch from her past she had hoped never to see again – is standing in front of her, smiling gorgeously.

Rebekah takes a fighting stance, closely watching her every move. Vampire or not, a stake through the heart will end her miserable life.

"Long time, ma chérie", smoothly drawls the witch.

Rebekah narrows her eyes and replies with a slight French accent:

"Genevieve".

"Happy you still remember my name".

"Move or I will rip your heart out of your chest and shove it in your throat", warns Rebekah with a growl.

Genevieve simply laughs, throwing her head back. And Rebekah takes that chance.

"Or he will do it! Klaus…"

She tilts her head and looks over the witch's shoulder, letting a wide smile grow on her face.

Genevieve breakes off laughing and turns round in horror – and that millisecond of distraction is enough for Rebekah to whoosh.

Endless corridors flash before her eyes, the smell of blood, sweat and desperation fills her lungs. She puts her hand on the door-knob, – one more step and she will be free – but pulls back, hissing and swearing under breath, staring at her burned palm. The skin gets almost black, just like a coal, and covered by ugly blisters. Fantastic! One more thing to remind her of her huge love towards the witches.

Genevieve appears from behind, stretching an arm and chanting in Latin, a cruel twisted grin never leaving her face. Rebekah falls to her knees, squeezing her temples and tearing the skin off her face. A sob escapes her lips, followed by a loud scream.

"No! Stop it, witch, just stop it now!"

Her body is on fire, her head is exploding from inside as if an atomic bomb were detonating right in it. But her pride won't let her _beg_ Genevieve to stop.

"You fool", growls Rebekah, blood vessels in her eyes split and the image becomes blur. "You will never defeat me! I _am_ immortal…"

Genevieve tsks with her tongue and softly touches Rebekah's chin, pushing her back to the floor.

"Sometimes immortality is not a gift, but a curse. Sure I can demonstrate you that".

Rebekah's eyes go wide with terror as Genevieve's hand dives inside her chest and tears out her still beating heart, holding it high above her head. A few blood drops fall from her fingers and Rebekah catches them with her mouth before passing out…

* * *

She opens her eyes.

With a jerk Rebekah sits on the couch, choking with air. Her hand flies to her chest and she releases her breath – the heart is still in place.

'It was a dream, just a nightmare', she tries to reassure herself. 'Witches cannot pull out my heart. No one can!'

She has to hurry, get out of this god forsaken place and bury the memories where they belong. Not so long ago she used to wander along these corridors dressed like a nurse…

This time she chooses the other door. Nasty bites are getting the best of her – not even enough strength to use her vampire speed.

"Long time, ma chérie", Genevieve's voice stops her just outside the room.

'Bloody hell, I'm not repeating my dream!' she internally screams.

This time Rebekah spends no time on being nice – she rushes to the witch and digs into her stomach the first object that comes at hand – an iron candelabrum, the only thing left in this narrow and dimly lit corridor.

But Genevieve only smiles with superiority and easily takes it out of her body with a rotten plop. The sound of it hitting the floor lingers in the air for two long seconds. Genevieve wrenches Rebekah's hand and pines her to the wall.

"Get off me, bitch!" cries Rebekah in desperation.

She swore to herself that never again shall she feel so vulnerable, so _powerless_, and yet, here she is scratching her cheek against the wall and tasting blood on her lips, struggling to get out of this witch's grip and fighting tears of pain and anger.

"Oh, I haven't even started with you", whispers Genevieve into her ear and roughly tosses her on the floor, stepping with one leg on her chest.

A moan escapes Rebekah's lips as the heel digs deeper, almost reaching her heart. But it's not Genevieve legs that make her tremble, it's her hands. To be more accurate – a white oak stake in them.

"No! It can't be! We destroyed all the stakes!"

Rebekah shakes her head and extends her fangs to scare Genevieve. But the witch lovingly caress her face with a tip of the stake and gently pushes it inside her body.

And, devil, the pain is so real! Rebekah's cry is ringing in her ears; everything goes blank and the only thing she knows for certain is that she is going to die.

'It's a dream. Please, let it be just a dream!'

"Remember, you killed my brother?" asks Genevieve. "You know, it's true. Revenge _is_ a sweet thing indeed".

She raises her hand with a stake soaked in blood.

Rebekah screams.

"Wake me up! Nik, please, _please_, wake me up! Nik!"

The stake goes through her heart.

* * *

She wakes up feeling a cold metal surface underneath her.

She decides against opening her eyes. It's safer this way. Because she already knows where she is.

'I'll get out of here', she makes a silent vow and slowly rises on her feet.

Rebekah was never the one to analyze and calculate – she prefers to think of herself as of genius of spontaneity. But now she is trying to ratiocinate, mentally ordering herself to calm down and overcome the growing panic.

The facts are scanty and not encouraging at all. She is hallucinating. Badly. Maybe even now. She can no longer divide reality and subconsciousness. Even causing pain – such a useful way to break up the nightmare – is not helping.

There is only one choice – to keep trying. To struggle to get out of here, hoping that for once this might be real world and not some creepy vision.

She blinks. Something is streaming down her face, falling on her collarbone.

_Blood_.

'Great. Just bloody hell amazing! Now she is what – having internal bleeding?'

Rebekah steps out of the room, slowly starting along the corridor. She shakes all the door-knobs, but the doors won't open. First, second, third – no room to enter, nowhere to hide.

The silence is lingering in the air, filling it with thick fear and making it hard to breathe.

The door creaks and Rebekah flinches. She takes two small steps, wiping her eyes with a sleeve of her jacket. It gets soaked through with blood, but now at least she can see.

And the sight makes her freeze.

The room is empty except for the bathtub. Water is dripping over the edge leaving red blots on the floor. The bath if full of human organs.

Her stomach twists, she is about to vomit.

She spots somebody's leg with scraps of flesh, a heart, literally broken in two parts, a child's hand – pale and skinless with a girlish bracelet on her wrist.

"Why have you come?"

A cold hand lies down on her shoulder.

Rebekah screams.

She turns around, moving back. Dozens of cold hollow eyes stare at her accusingly.

Children. Victims. All the boys and girls she has killed for a thousand years.

Their hair is wet and so are their clothes, shredded and covered with dust and dirt, revealing rough scratches and abrasions all over their bodies.

The boy with a scar across his face steps forward. His name was Peter. His twin sister Lucy grins, showing her teeth.

"Why have you come?" they repeat emotionlessly, slowly approaching her, their hands stretches and fingers shivering.

Rebekah takes a step back. One more. Blood is writhing between her bare feet like a snake; her back is pressed into the side of a bath. They are surrounding her, coming closer, staggering and splitting out curses that no child should be familiar with.

"You are not welcome here. We will kill you", Peter burst into laughter.

That year was dreadful for Europe, as she recalls. The plague was ruling it – rotten bodies scattered across the country, filthy rats feeding of them. Back then she cured two dying kids with her blood – not for free of cause. Their stepmother was a nun, and her blood never touched by alcohol, fumes and lust tasted exquisitely. Unfortunately Nik decided to kill those kids to avenge her oh so awful sin that she can't even remember it now. They turned into vampires and that was their death sentence. They were out of control and posed a threat, she had to take them down. And so she did. Ironically, those kids survived the Black Death, but never survived her brother's cruelness.

"I didn't want this". Rebekah whispers. "I would have never done this to you!" tears are pouring from her eyes, choked sobs escaping her throat. "It was all Nik, he demanded I kill you!"

"Like brother like sister", Peter says, coming closer.

"Like brother like sister", others respond in unison.

"No! No!" Rebekah screams, the circle closing around her.

Their hands are all over her body, ripping her garments, tearing off her hair, smashing their fists into her stomach, squeezing out her eyes.

Her back connects with water. She fights back like a wounded animal for its life, but their hands are already on her neck, forcing her to sink deeper, deeper into this world of blood, cut skin, burned flesh.

'No one's gonna save me. I am doomed to die", she thinks before she takes a deep breath, letting the water poor into her throat, burning its way down.

* * *

This time it ends pretty quickly.

She wakes up only to see Alexander hovering above her, showing his white teeth.

The boy she loved so much, that seeing him like this still hurts, as if the wound he inflicted has never healed.

"I know you are not real", she tells him proudly, her voice cracking slightly.

He smiles softly, tenderly and shakes his head.

"Right now I'm the only thing you believe to be real".

He pines her to the bed with four wooden stakes and sets the room on fire.

* * *

Her imagination is vivid, Rebekah concludes, whipping her forehead – bloody hell, how she sticks!

She doesn't know what time, or even what day it is. She has lost count how many times she has died. She burnt and drowned, her head broke to pieces and her blood boiled, Nicklaus stabbed her with a white-oak stake and so did Elijah…

She is lost somewhere between reality and hallucinations. And she knows what she has to do.

Rebekah bends over and falls down from the bed. Crawling, she gets to the table with medical instruments, reaching for the surgical scalpel. She is gonna do it hard way if she has.

She carefully cuts her right palm open and swears under breath.

Pain is a bitch.

She has to get rid of the werewolf venom in her blood, and to do that she has to drain herself of blood. She won't let her fear and regrets control her. She is an Original. And she doesn't give up.

Holding her breath, Rebekah slices her arm lengthwise.

A week moan escapes her lips.

* * *

'Oh, they are all _so fucking dead'_.

Klaus moves sharply, trying with all his force to break the metal chains that bind his limbs. He can hear his bones cracking, but the fetters stay in place.

He wonders if these witches have a dead wish and what kind of vampire sedative could have weakened him to this level.

"Hello, Nicklaus", a familiar voice says.

A voice from his nightmares.

Michael.

Klaus unintentionally flinches.

"Came here directly from hell to mock at me?" he growls, letting his fangs drop.

Michael smirks and bends over him, eyeing him with clear amusement.

"You don't even imagine how comforting it is to see you like that. Weak, powerless, so arrogant and impulsive. After all these years you still haven't learnt: passion, even for blood or murder, will be your downfall. I can stake you at heart and my pulse won't quicken a bit. However, I won't deny – the sight of your lifeless body will feel like a balm to my wounded soul", his smirk grows wider and his voice drops to whisper.

"You already had a chance to admire my lifeless body", Klaus retorts. "When you stabbed me with a sword. Didn't even let us finish dinner".

"Oh, I never planned to turn you into vampire in the first place", Michael pushes his hand inside Klaus's chest and squeezes his heart. "I went in for Rebekah. Hadn't you shielded her with your body, I'd have one less problem to deal with".

"Then go ahead", Klaus hisses. "What are you afraid of, _father_?! Maybe it's the absence of the white-oak stake that makes you hesitate? Or the fact", he rises slightly to meet Michael's eyes, not showing any fear, "that I know: _you're in my head. _And I can kick you out!"

He thrusts his nails into his hands and bites on his lip – hard, his head hitting the hospital bed with all force – an average man would have his skull broken in two parts.

When he opens his eyes, Michael is gone.

* * *

"I was expecting to see you", Klaus confesses.

He keeps on staring at the grey wall, not bothering to turn his head.

Her scent is far too familiar, it got printed on his mind and he seriously doubts he will ever stop feeling it follow him anywhere he goes.

"I am not who you believe me to be", a thin hand gently strokes his hair.

"Don't…" his voice shakes and he has to swallow a pathetic 'please' that burns his throat.

"I am your mother, Nicklaus. You can be honest with me", she whispers as Klaus deliberately smirks in her face. "I am neither a ghost, nor a delusion of your imagination. A creature born to the darkest of magic, but not a phantom".

"Right. Because my imagination would have created you with a stake in hand", he raises one brow and smiles his deadliest smile at Ester.

She takes a step back, clearly offended.

"I'm truly sorry for what I've done to you, my son. But I've come to acquit myself. I drove Michael away…"

Klaus clenches his teeth.

"You are nothing more than a loathsome…"

"What?" she interrupts. "A loathsome hallucination? Then why can't you just make me disappear?"

He splits on the floor, feeling pain in his temples increasing.

Ester runs her hands through her hair. She is desperate.

"I came here for your forgiveness!" she looks him intensely in the eye. "Do you pardon me?"

"Fine", Klaus stresses the word and, seeing his mother's relieve, adds hoarsely. "I don't. I will never grant you my forgiveness. Now you can go back to hell", the corners of his lips go up.

Blood fills her eyes.

"Only with you!"

She throws herself upon him, snarling, and shoves a white-oak stake through his heart.

'Now, who is the bigger monster, mother?'

* * *

Klaus finds it amusing how these witches blindly believe they will break him after he has survived more than fifty years of endless torture, caused by the hunter's curse.

Their magic is no match to his power.

"Missed me, brother?"

Klaus yawns. These tricks are getting old. He will never truly recover from Kol's death, but hallucination or not, he won't apologize to his little brother. Not aloud at least.

A whistle cuts the air – a wooden stake flies across the room, right into Kol's heart, making him disappear in a blink of an eye.

Klaus raises a brow and lets out an evaluative hem. My, my, that's something new.

"Klaus? Oh my God!"

He inhales deeply, fear consuming his mind.

'Caroline… No, not you!'

When he said he could survive anything he didn't mean her.

Caroline runs to him, shining and fearless as always. A look of genuine concern on her face almost makes him want to cry.

"What have they done to you?" she quietly wonders, letting her gaze linger on his freshly heeled wounds.

He doesn't even have a chance to open his mouth, as she changes her mind.

"No, don't answer. Save your strength. I'm gonna get you out of here", she confidently says and tries to rip the chains away.

He smells her blood as she hurts her hand, but the handcuffs stay in place.

"Ugh, what are they made of, titanium?" complains Caroline, growling angrily.

Klaus can't help but smile.

She bites her lip and crosses her arms across the chest, clearly annoyed.

"Hey," her eyes sparkle with a fresh idea. "could you, could you free yourself if you had enough strength?

She stammers, but Klus still nods, understanding her perfectly.

Caroline's face lightens up.

"Then you're going to need warm blood, oh…"

She stops abruptly and shifts from one foot to another, avoiding his piercing gaze.

Klaus can easily tell that the thought of offering him her blood doesn't seem quite appealing to Caroline. But she shakes up her head and says in a commanding voice.

"Ok. I'm gonna give you my blood, but as soon as we're out of here, you'll tell me what the hell is going on. And don't even think of getting away with the explanation! Or I'll chain you to the bed myself!"

She blushes, realizing how twisted that sounded, and Klaus grins.

"Next time, love".

Caroline rolls her eyes and turns round to bite her wrist.

Klaus observes her, not missing anything: her gorgeous body, her girlish outfit, her hair – properly arranged in locks… And he laughs, scolding himself for stupidity.

"It's all in my head, isn't it?" he is not asking, he is pretty certain in his guess.

Caroline slowly turns to face him.

"Michael, Ester, Kol… her. Nice try indeed. That's why the visions are so real – they are not coming from some external interference, but from my mind. Still, however disappointing this may sound, you have miscalculated it here, witch", Klaus breathes out. "Even my mind can't portrait her… in _all her glory_, with _all her inner light_ and _passion for life_. No offence sweetheart, but you are only a projection of real her! You will never be able to capture this perfect combination of her imperfect, yet so peculiar and genuine features. You are a fake", he simply states.

At his last words her face dissolves in the air and Klaus feels as though a dagger was pulled out of his heart.

Loud claps get him out of his thoughts.

"Bravo! How clever of you!" teases the red-haired witch, approaching him confidently, but keeping her distance.

She used to be one of his _least_ favorite witches. Well, before Rebekah ended her.

Genevieve looks at him with conscious superiority, but it's obvious that she is on the verge of breaking. Papa Tunde's blade is clenched in her fingers, as she puts it forward, struggling for control.

Well, he will let her feel as if she were in control. That's the best you can do for a woman to blunt her vigilance.

"Come closer, love," he smiles seductively. "I won't bite, I promise".

She hastily takes a step ahead.

"What makes you think I'm afraid of you?" she hisses much to his amusement – it's always thrilling to hear people lying to you when you know the truth. "If all, you should be. It's you not me being chained up".

"Tell me how much you enjoy it, seeing me like this".

She licks her lips.

"To tell the truth, it's Bastianna who is after you. I'd rather enjoy torturing your little sister. Quite pathetic – she went mad after only two hours of hallucinations".

'Bekah…'

He swallows hard.

"Well, let me guess", he drawls lightly, "an endless stream of boyfriends cheating on her _and_ daggering her. A tedious picture. May I suggest you exchange her for Elijah? I assure you my brother's fears are much more vivid".

Genevieve smiles – his attempt to save Rebekah has been too obvious.

"I wonder if you'll still continue to care for her after you learn what she did?" she snorts.

Klaus bows his head slightly letting her go on.

"I thought you girls were friends?" he inquires, raising a brow.

Genevieve makes a wry face and carefully sits on the edge of his bed. Much to his pleasure Klaus notices that she is starting to feel comfortable and relaxed in his presence.

"You know, I met her here, in this godforsaken sanatorium. It was originally meant for influenza patients, but at that time it was also used as a military hospital. I was young, reckless… And I thought it was so nice of an Original vampire to be a nurse, to attend to patients' needs, to treat them. That was before I learnt that she fed on them".

Klaus stared at her, waiting for continuation.

"Right, why should that bother you? To cut a long story short, one day she met my brother here, took a notice of him and proposed a deal – she will heal him with her blood and in return he will abandon his family and stay with her forever. He laughed in her face. And that was his last mistake in life".

Klaus rolled up his eyes. He swears Bekah's naivety in love affairs is going to be the death of her one day!

Genevieve covers her face with her hands, her vague voice barely audible.

"She told me you did it. Told me you killed Luc! And I was foolish enough to believe her, to do what she asked me to – to find Michael".

Klaus twitches involuntary and suppresses the desire to snap her neck.

"You know it's true – don't even try to deny it. Your sister and her lover Marcel wanted to get rid of you for good. They made me bring Michael to New Orleans. They promised me safety, but then they panicked and exposed me to Michael as a witch who was on your side. He was busy chopping off my head when you dragged your precious Rebekah out of the city and far from her lover".

It should have better been a white-oak stake. At least he was expecting it.

Now as never before he regretted having a heart. Rebekah has just left another open wound on it. He had to summon all his powers for his facial expression to stay impassive.

"Well, I guess you heard how this works: I get mad, dagger Rebekah and live happily for a hundred years till some fool doesn't revive her. And then she pisses me off again", Klaus chuckles.

Rebekah's betrayal has just destroyed him. But he'll be damned if he lets anyone see it!

Genevieve's gaze flows along his body, she bends over him, tilting her head to the left. And then she lowers herself on him, her legs on both sides of the bed, their hips touching.

Genevieve smiles and rips his shirt revealing his naked chest.

Klaus laughs slightly, licking his lips.

She takes a blade and traces a line from his neck to his stomach, not piercing the skin.

"Are you gonna torture me, or fuck me?" Klaus asks hoarsely.

"Mmm, how about both?" archly smiles Genevieve and leans to kiss him, moving her hips against his sensually.

Fatal decision.

Klaus sinks his teeth into her neck and as she screams, unsuccessfully fighting him, he breaks free, tearing the chains off and letting them fall to the floor.

He picks up the blade from the floor and walks towards barely conscious from the blood loss Genevieve. Her eyes are wide and full of terror. And it arouses him more than her pathetic attempts to seduce him.

"Now love, tell me, where I can find my sister?"

**R&R**


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you for reviews, favs, follows and support! Please, fell free to point out any mistakes, English is not my native language)  
Hope you enjoy it!**

**Chapter 2.**

"If you want to kill me do it now, Nik".

Klaus's heart clenches at her shaky voice. There's so much pain and vulnerability.

"Do it!" she screams and he takes a moment to consider the option.

Rebekah is sitting in a pool of blood, her cheeks wet from tears. She keeps on methodically cutting her arm; it doesn't even have time to heal properly.

She is a bloody mess.

"Bekah, listen", he says almost pleadingly, "I'll get you out of here".

"What if I don't want you to?" she asks eyeing him suspiciously.

"Why?"

"Because I don't believe you! Because you are _not_ _real_!"

Rebekah flushes towards him, holding a scalpel high above her head, aiming for his heart. Klaus easily disarms her and presses her against the wall, capturing her hands behind her back. A soft desperate sob escapes her lips.

"Do I feel like a fucking hallucination?!" he shouts at her, turning her round and slapping her hard across the face. "Answer me!"

Rebekah cries out aloud choking with tears and frantically shakes her head.

He lets go of her and she collapses to the floor. His eyes close like those of a coward – he just can't bear seeing her like that.

"Trust me, for once…" whispers Klaus, stretching his hand.

Rebekah watches him silently for a moment and then accepts it, nodding weakly.

With a jerk he raises her on feet and whooshes her out of the building.

* * *

They land at the corner of the sanatorium.

It's dark outside – probably midnight. And it smells differently. It smells freedom. She slides down the rough wall and sharply inhales the air – so breathtakingly fresh and chilly. Her fingers still tremble as if she has suffered an electric shock.

Klaus throws his head up and breathes out – a cloud of heated exhalation hovers in the air.

"How did they entrap you?" he demands, slowly turning to face her and leaning against the wall.

Rebekah bites her lip – she is far too exhausted to create believable lies.

"I was making out with a guy", she quietly confesses. "A wolf called Oliver from Hayley's clan. He lured me into a trap. There were too many of them, Nik. I fought but…" her voice strains.

Klaus nods smirking.

"You know, maybe I should have waited another millennium to undagger you. For all this time has most certainly taught you nothing!" Rebekah lowers her gaze. "You blindly trust any man who shows you some kind of affection _with your life_! That's beyond being pathetic even for you! Your lovers keep running away from you, trying to kill you in process, and yet here you are – summoning Michael, plotting my downfall…"

Her eyes widen in shock as she realizes: he knows everything. Klaus grabs her chin and makes her look up to him.

"What did I do to deserve this?" he asks perplexedly.

Rebekah laughs.

"No, you can't be serious, can you? All this time you have been ruining my life step by step and now you're asking what the hell is wrong? A little tip for future reference – people don't like being manipulated!" she yells.

Klaus drops her chin and recoils from her as from a leper. The look in his eyes grows cold and distant, his voice hoarse and menacing, venom dripping from every word.

"Fine. I am a tyrant, a horrible brother not worthy of your love, a nature's mistake. I get it. You know, I won't bother you anymore. You are free", he whispers tenderly. "Go and live a life you crave for. Or die. See if it matters to me", he hisses and gets his lips closer to her ear. "Just remember, _little sister_, that despite the fact that you and your sweet Marcel plotted to kill me, at the end of the day I was still the one to save your life. No more".

He abruptly finishes and turns round to walk away.

"What? Nik, wait!" Rebekah screams and tries to get up, but she is still too weak. "Bloody hell, just stop! You can't leave me like that! You must hear me out! She lied!"

Klaus freezes and closes his eyes. No more lies, he won't tolerate it.

Rebekah coughs out a clot of blood and hurriedly continues.

"You know I've always wanted to be independent, to be in control of my own life and you can't blame me for that! I never complained but then you overstepped – you put me in a fucking coffin, robbing me of any chance of happiness with Marcel. And then we thought – what if we could make you disappear and live our lives _for once_, without being dictated what to do?" she speaks with ardour, eager for him to hear it. "I told Marcel that the only person who could scare you off was Michael. And we needed a witch, a powerful one – Genevieve. The original plan was to kill her brother and blame you for that, but I ended up falling in love with him", Klaus can't help but roll his eyes at that. It isn't even funny anymore! Rebekah clears her throat. "But he rejected me and _mocked_ at me – so I shoved my blood down his throat and snapped his neck. When… when he woke up he told me he'd rather die than become a monster… monster like me. And so he did. But we carried out the plan nevertheless. We gave Genevieve a decent reason to hate you and to contact Michael…"

"Remind me which part is a lie exactly?" Klaus rudely interrupts her.

"I never planned to kill you!" Rebekah cries hysterically. "After all these years how could you possibly believe that I desire your death?! Genevieve was to give Michael a hint on your whereabouts for your world spread spies to report to your about the danger! For you to run away like you always do!"

His fist meets the wall, leaving a huge hole in it. Front bricks fall down in a heap, raising a haze of dust.

"I do not run!" Klaus screams frantically.

Rebekah presses harder into the wall. She tries to stand up, but her legs fail her – they are numb, she can't feel them. Klaus sees it but makes no attempt to help.

"Yes you do", she retorts in a quiet voice. "You _were supposed_ to run away leaving me and Marcel behind. But it didn't go according to the plan. The witch brought Michael here and you were still in blissful ignorance, enjoying your newly acquired title of king!" she smirks contemptuously at him. "I couldn't let our father get closer to you. And so I compelled your servants to inform you about Michael's appearance and them I…" she stumbles and with a deep breath continues, "I compelled Marcel to expose Genevieve as your lover to Michael. He bought it. And don't you give me that look of aversion! I was trying to buy you time to flee while Michael was chopping off her head… But you never did. You came for me", her voice drops an octave, "to the very hell. Do you remember running along the corridor, my hand in yours, the door ajar, and there, in the doorway, Michael's back and Marcel looking pleadingly above his shoulder? He wasn't looking at you – he was looking at me! And I turned away… I. Chose. You. Over. Him. Again! Don't you dare call me a traitor!"

Rebekah breaks off, her chest rising and falling heavily, tears streaming down her face.

Klaus casts her a long emotionless look.

"I believe our brother is here", he quietly announces.

A worried voice filled with relief and rage breaks the tension.

"Bekah!"

"Lijah", she weakly smiles whipping her eyes and stretches her hands towards him.

"Shh", he kneels besides her and embraces her. "Shh, it's over, it's all over… How are you? How do you feel?"

Elijah gently cups her face and removes wet traces from her cheeks. Rebekah silently nods struggling to keep the tears away but instead only weeps harder.

"She is safe now, but not because of you", Klaus states with a frown. "What took you so long, brother?" he inquires sternly.

Elijah slowly rises to his feet, cautiously observing him.

"I was organizing a back-up".

Klaus casts a lazy look behind his shoulder. Hundreds of vampires – half the New Orleans's population – standing motionlessly like stone statues, waiting for a command. Diego in the center of a first row, his eyes red and fists clenched; dozens of vampires hidden in the trees, guarding left and right wings.

"So few?" Klaus raises his brow and smirks. "I'm officially offended".

Elijah only clears his throat at that and turns to Rebekah.

"Come on, let's take you home!"

"No".

Klaus takes a step forward.

"These witches made a fool of me. Of _us_. They put a shadow on our reputation and so we'll remind them who they should fear. We'll execute a show trial".

"Are you insane?!" Rebekah screams losing her temper. "I'm a mess, Nik! I want to shower, to change clothes and to wait for my werewolf-poisoned wounds to heal".

Elijah considers her words for a moment and then stares at Klaus in disbelief.

"You didn't give her your blood?"

Klaus shrugs his shoulders and signs in mock regret.

"What can I say? Shame on me! Bad, very bad hybrid!"

"Heal her. Now!" Elijah orders.

Klaus arches his brow sarcastically. Suddenly his hearing picks up a laughing sound. A wide smile grows on his face.

"Tourists. How convenient!" he notes in awe and adds enthusiastically. "I _love_ tourists".

It takes Elijah less than ten seconds to vamp speed away and reappear with a young scared to death girl. She kicks his leg, but Elijah doesn't seem to notice. He roughly throws the girl into Klaus's hands.

"Heal Rebekah. Now!" he repeats with cold anger.

"Okay, okay," Klaus raises a hand as if in surrender. "No need to be so harsh, brother'.

The girl in his hands struggle to break free, but his grip is steel.

"How are you doing, my lovely?"

He stops her hand in a few centimeters from his cheek, catches a lock of her dark hair and puts it behind her ear, caressing her lips. The girl is trembling, Klaus can feel her heart beat accelerating.

"Let me go", she begs. "I'll do everything you say. I'll be more useful alive than dead!"

Klaus lets his fangs drop.

"I seriously doubt that, sweetheart," he whispers low in her ear, ignoring sobs and pleads. "Hmm… You smell delicious. Mind that – it's the greatest compliment you have ever achieved".

"No, pleeease, no!"

He bites his wrist and makes the girl drink before shoving her to Rebekah.

"Have at it, sister".

He smiles as Rebekah tears the girl apart, draining her dry. She licks her lips, gathering last drops of blood – itching pain disappears, her wounds skin over.

She gracefully rises to her feet and throws Elijah a challenging glance.

"What are we waiting for?" she inquires impatiently.

Elijah rolls his eyes.

"I was actually hoping for negotiations".

A chuckle escapes Klaus's mouth.

"Hilarious".

They simultaneously take a step ahead and end up standing at the head of their personal army.

Klaus smiles in anticipation, as he proclaims.

"No witch or vampire guarding this building survives the night!"

The crowd explodes with triumphant war-cries.

* * *

With windows curtained off and faint gleams of dimly lit candles dancing on the ceiling the room looks more like a crypt than a ward. They don't maintain darkness for atmosphere – well, not only for that – it helps to conceal the evidence of their magic, genuine black art, necromancy.

Celeste uncorks a phial and pours its contents into the boiling bowl, careful not to let a single drop slip away.

"It's time", she announces, stretching a hand. "Monique, come".

The girl slowly approaches her, closing her eyes. Monique silently prays for this time dying not to be as painful as the previous one.

Celeste slices her throat with one swift movement. Monique's body hits the floor right next to Genevieve's corpse.

The surface of the potion blazes up with deep blue flames, as Celeste chants a spell, her voice growing stronger and becoming abrupt, power leaving her.

"Are you sure you know what you are doing, child?" ask Bastianna in her chest-voice. "It's not like _she_'ll reward us on the other side".

Celeste silences her with a stern look.

"We'll be rewarded beyond desired when the air scatters the ashes of their bodies!" she whispers, her fingers trembling, blood dripping from her nose.

They are interrupted by a loud crack – seems like a door flew off its hinges. Screams of pain, pleadings and sounds of ripped throats fill the building. And in the midst of that a happy sweet voice calls out, "One, two, three, four, five… Once I caught a fish alive," one more cry of death-agony and a dull sound of breaking bones, and the voice mockingly continues, "I will catch you as well, my wily little witches. Do you know what I did to that fish? Come on, don't make it harder for yourselves!"

Celeste grabs Bastianna's hand and squeezes it painfully, digging her nails into the skin.

"Klaus", she breathes out, totally terrified.

"Finish what you ought to, the third sacrifice", commands the elder.

"Yes, yes… Where is the knife?" she turns round in confusion and sweeps away all the papers from the table. "Should be somewhere here…" she mumbles, resisting the temptation to cover her ears with her hands – not to hear those poor wretches suffer. "No… Where the hell is…"

Words freeze on her lips as she chokes over, sharp pain flashing through her body. Her hand flies instinctively to her neck – blood is gushing from the wound.

Bastianna doesn't make an attempt to catch her lifeless body.

"Sorry", she says easily. "But I'm not dying again for some crappy and unfeasible plan".

She overturns the candlestick and watches flames envelop a rug and spread all over the room. And then she starts running, her heels clicking on the stone floor.

"Well, well, aren't we in a hurry?" an amazed voice stops her.

Bastianna gathers all her magic, feeling the tips of her fingers tingling slightly, but in an instance a sharp object hits her shoulder at full force and for a second she bluntly stares at her right arm – rather at what is left of it. And then the pain comes.

"Will you do the honors, sister?"

Klaus courteously hands her in the knife, back side forward. She takes it without hesitation and squats down in front of Bastianna. The witch once refused her brother a favour. And died not so long after that. She'll have to help her revive those unimaginable sensations.

"Hmm, where do I start from?" teasingly wonders Rebekah, cocking her head slightly to the left. Her eyes sparkle with a brilliant idea. "I know, I know!" she exclaims enthusiastically.

She raises the knife and severs Bastianna's left arm.

Elijah providently takes a step back – he can't stand blood on his hands, much less on his suit.

Klaus, on the other hand, takes a moment to play with cut arms, comparing them, and then thoughtfully stares at Bastianna's stumps, as she howls with pain.

"There is an exquisite harmony in that, don't' you think, brother?" he asks in a husky voice.

"Oh, Rebekah might have miscalculated a few centimeters", Elijah concludes, observing the witch intently.

"Please, please, don't do it", Bastianna moans, panting heavily.

Klaus winces: for centuries he's heard these words so many times that it is becoming really boring. Couldn't they be more original?

"Sorry, not sorry", Rebekah says bitchily and painfully slow inserts the knife into Bastianna's chest.

"The child is going to die!" she screams her head off as the blade slides further in her body.

Elijah's face blenches with terror. He twitches forward.

"Bekah, no!"

But Rebekah presses on the knife and it successfully pierces through Bastianna's heart.

Elijah closes his eyes and breathes in the scent of death.

* * *

Klaus storms into the apartment, throwing off his jacket on the move and ordering a servant girl to expose her wrist.

"Don't get off your suit", he instructs Elijah, sinking his teeth into her soft skin.

For a moment he enjoys the taste of warm human blood, straight from the vein, and then withdraws from the girl, licking the last drop of blood from his thumb.

"We are going out to celebrate", he announces with an innocent smile.

Rebekah feels fury boiling inside her.

"What the hell, Nik? We are not your slaves!"

"Shut up", he snaps out. "Our guys have done a good job tonight. They do deserve some warm blood, mind-blowing sex and a little favour from us, their leaders. Though I'm planning only to drink with them and make them believe they are in my goodwill _for now_, you are more than welcome to think of your own ways of thanking them, sister".

"Don't you dare", Rebekah hisses.

In a swift move he breaks off the table leg and throws it in her direction. Rebekah doesn't react in time – the stake goes through her chest, missing her heart only a little. Elijah says something reasonable, trying to make him come to his senses, but Klaus can't care less. He is standing in front of Rebekah, who is biting her lips – she won't cry in front of him, she can't! – as he whispers sternly,

"You will dance and smile, dressed in your most expensive and exclusive garment. You will charm the guests and sell yourself as you always do. And then you will leave. Forever".

A dead silence drops on the room.

"What…?" Rebekah says weakly, shaking her head.

"Well, initially I thought that I'd make you suffer – you know, endless torture, Marcel's head as a birthday present… But then again, I wouldn't want to be banal, would I?" he smirks. "I've already beheaded hundreds of enemies; I've made a girl run for her life for five hundred years, waking up at nights because she heard a faint noise; I've spared a life of my first hybrid who will have to exist for eternity, knowing I can take it away any moment I wish. So I thought of something different for you", his voice grows stronger as he looks her directly in the eye. "For your betrayal I banish you from our family for good. You will leave in the morning and never come back. You will never call yourself my sister again and never ask for my help. Enjoy your freedom".

"No", Rebekah retorts desperately. She closes her eyes, terrifying images fill her mind: as she walks the Earth thousands and thousands of years, all alone, lost and scared, with no one to trust, no one to watch her back. Tears cling to her eyes, slipping from under the eyelids. "Elijah…?"

"Oh, don't worry, he is free to chose – follow you or stay by my side", Klaus replies and nods to the stairs. "Go get dressed and pack – I want any evidence of your presence gone by the dawn".

Rebekah turns round, suffocating and fighting tears, and flashes up the stairs.

Elijah fills two glasses with neat whiskey and hands one of them to Klaus, who empties it in one gulp. And bumpers again.

"So", Elijah pauses, unsure of how to start a conversation. "You are seriously severing all relationships with our sister?"

"Yes. And so do you!" Klaus nods at him. "Unless, of cause, you wish to join her in exile", he rolls his eyes and draws forward, his voice dropping. "Though I should warn you: if you walk out of this door, you will never see neither the child, nor your precious Hayley".

Elijah stiffens, seeking for a way to change the subject. The conversation has taken a dangerous turn.

"Speaking of", Klaus raises on his feet and glares at him expectantly. "Care to illuminate how you happened to save the wolf-girl over your siblings?"

Elijah intertwines his fingers and speaks smoothly, trying to sound logical,

"Hayley is mortal and so is your child she is carrying. If I hadn't come in time, they would have burnt to death…"

"Should have let them burn then!" Klaus shouts in frustration and flings the glass into the window, watching it go into splinters. "You should have saved Rebekah. Should have gone for her first!"

"Nicklaus, your child…"

"Spare me the crap about your noble intentions. You did it for the girl! Your obsession with her has clouded your loyalty to our family! I have lived without a child for a thousand years and I could survive a thousand more without one. Not without our sister!" he snaps out, breathing heavily.

Elijah shakes his head in confusion.

"I don't understand", he says, coming closer to Klaus and looking at him intently. "You have just banished her from our family, making her miserable for the rest of her life! She has been at your side for a thousand years; can you even imagine what it would fell like to lose everything in an instance? Some would say leaving her to die would have been more merciful!"

"If Rebekah is ever going to die, she will die from my hand", hisses Klaus emphatically, squeezing his shoulder hard enough to break the bones.

Elijah doesn't flinch.

"You think you are punishing her, but the truth is…" he takes a significant pause, "you are punishing yourself".

Klaus's face becomes unreadable, his teeth clench.

"Change your clothes", he mutters, his self-restrain wearing off. "The putrid smell is far too obvious".

He rushes to his room, Elijah's voice stopping him at the threshold.

"Don't do that to yourself, brother", he pleads.

Klaus slams the door.

* * *

Rebekah screams as she tosses a painting across the room. After a few seconds a lamp joins it.

She keeps on crushing things around her, taking out her frustration.

'Good. He wanted all memory of me gone? I'll make it literally _gone_!'

Burning anger, desperation and guilt form a sickening mix inside her body. She can't decide who she hates more – Klaus or herself. But it doesn't actually matter.

She collapses on bed and turns to face the wall.

"Rebekah?"

A male's voice startles her. She jumps off the bed, taking a fighting stance.

"Marcel", his name easily rolls off her tongue, but there is no excitement, no loyalty, only sadness. "You know you're walking in the lion's den, right?"

He swiftly walks towards her and cups her face, inspecting it.

"He knows? Fuck, what did he do? He hurt you?"

Rebekah shakes frantically her head.

Marcel signs with relief.

"Come on", he takes her hand. "I've arranged everything. We'll be out of the city by dawn".

She pulls her hand out.

"I'm not running from my brother", Rebekah says firmly.

He watches her for a minute, not arguing, not even looking surprised.

"You know, I won't stay her just for your sake, don't you?

"I do", she confirms, distancing herself from him even more. "Hide. And try to do it well. Good luck", the last words come out a weak whisper.

He kisses her hard on mouth and vanishes noiselessly through the open window.

Rebekah follows him with her eyes, silently thinking, that she would never have left him face to face with Klaus.

* * *

Klaus is pacing the room, keeping his hands behind his back in a wrist-lock grip. He tells himself to calm down, to dissemble the anger and to refrain from going after Marcel. He has a reputation to uphold and duties that require his immediate attention – like proving the French quarter that he is their invincible leader. Beheading Marcel can wait. But self persuasion doesn't work quite well. In fact it doesn't work at all.

Klaus gives in. He stretches his hand and grabs the sell-phone, dialing the number from memory. The phone gives out three buzzers, before the voice appears at the other end of the line.

"Hello", Caroline's voice says. Klaus feels the corners of his lips go up. "Hello!" Caroline repeats, clearly annoyed. "I cannot hear you!" she snorts and he imagines the look of indignation on her face right now. "Fine. Next time you need company to keep silent for a while, I suggest you call the morgue".

Klaus can't keep himself from chuckling. He immediately hears Caroline's breathing hitching, tension building on the other side of the line. He freezes.

The dead silence lasts for ten seconds.

"Klaus…?" comes a careful, hardly audible question.

He discerns fear, confusion, unrest and maybe– his heart clenches happily at that thought – just maybe, hope.

"Klaus", she repeats his name again with more confidence, her voice soft and shaking.

He hangs up. And leaves the room. Keeping a promise he gave her will be the most challenging thing in his whole life.

* * *

Klaus snaps his fingers for the bartender to come.

"Whiskey. Neat", he orders.

Camille obeys, not daring to raise her head. Too many vampires, too many screams of agony, too many dead corpses on the floor. She tries not to attract attention.

Good. Because he is already sick and tired of her bravado. Of her stupid yet so firm belief that _she_ could order him around, tell him what to do. That was fun, but the fun ended here and now. Brainless despicable creature…

Klaus takes slow sips, as he lazily observes the bar. The loud music beats on his ears. If he were human, he would have long gone deaf. He doesn't pay attention to the lyrics – something dark and sensual about love, hate and sex. The main topic of modern songs.

Two completely naked – save for tight black strings – and visibly aroused girls on the dance floor intertwine their fingers, as the blonde one slides her tongue inside her friend's mouth, kissing her hard and rubbing her leg against her tights. The ginger one moans suggestively, as her hands caress blonde's breast, squeezing her nipples. The crowd whistles approvingly.

Who would have believed that not so long ago waltz was considered indecent and licentious as the lady was standing far too close to her partner. Not that Klaus complains, of course.

Diego pulls the ginger one away, taking her to the dark corner and lowering her on the sofa. His fellow soldiers snort in indignation and murmur something obscene, but no one dares to object aloud. Diego's score of deaths from last night is impressing, and this allows him to choose any trophy he wishes.

The blonde one covers her breasts, her eyes wide in shock as she sees vampire faces, mischievous smiles and fangs covered in blood. She tries to run, making the crowd burst into laughter. Camille flinches and turns to the wall when the scent of girl's blood fills the air.

Klaus clasps his hands behind his head and places his legs on the counter, an arrogant smirk spreading across his face.

He sees Rebekah throwing forced smiles at everyone and swearing at the most intolerable admirers. She has fulfilled his wish: this tight silk dress, the colour of blood, leaves nothing to imagination, and for the jewels hanging in her ears he could buy the whole Mystic Falls.

Elijah tears off some baby nightwalker – he was turned not three years ago – from a young girl and asks her something. She nods her head frantically, tears streaming down her swollen face. The music is bumping and all Klaus can make out is "home", "school", "mommy" and "please". Oh, how sweet, the girl must've sneaked out with her stupid friends to have a taste of that so alluring, yet forbidden "adult" life. Marvelous. He fills two glasses as Elijah compels the girl to leave.

"Cheers, brother?" Klaus inquires with a self-content smile, offering him a drink.

"To your kingdom, to your heir", Elijah says as their glasses touch with a clink.

Klaus knocks back all the whiskey at once and licks his lips, enjoying the tart and burning aftertaste.

Elijah's eyes spot someone at the entrance and he raises his brows in surprise.

"Is that Mary?"

Klaus turns his head to look at the middle-aged woman, a servant in his house, who draws closer to the wall, a terrified look never leaving her face. With a sign he puts his glass aside and whooshes toward the woman, Elijah close behind him.

"Mr. Michaelson!" she cries, throwing up her hands. "Miss Marshall…"

Elijah swallows hard, his heart sink, as he realizes, something wrong has happened.

"Speak", Klaus growls.

"She fell of the stairs… the baby… she is giving birth".

**What do you think about it? Let me know!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Thank you all for the wonderful reviews! You guys are amazing!  
And yes, I also sometimes dislike Rebekah's weak character as the writers put it, the third season Rebekah was so much more fun, but I have to stick to some TVD/TO rules. Hope I'll be able to explore her character and some others and show you my vision.  
Enjoy!**

**Chapter 3.**

His lips trail small kisses down her stomach, biting her skin tenderly. She closes her eyes, breathing heavily and digging her fingers deeper into the frozen ground. He rips off her simple cotton panties and brings his mouth closer to her core, his hot, sinfully soft lips touching it slightly. She lets out a whimper, and he chuckles quietly, vibration from his breathing sending chills through her body.

"Busy sex dreaming, Blondie?" comes a mocking question.

Caroline scoffs, throwing him a stern glare.

"None of your business, Damon", she retorts. "And get your dirty legs of my sofa!"

He pretends not to have heard anything.

"Now, Damon", Caroline repeats in a menacing tone. "Or I will kick you out of my house".

He rolls his eyes.

"Oh, and how exactly will you do this? Last time I checked _I_ was feeding on vampires and _I_ was far more powerful than Katherine-the-bitch".

"I'll find a way", she reassures him, throwing his legs of her mother's favourite sofa.

It feels like old times: them sitting in a drawing-room and planning on killing Katherine. Only it's her house now, Damon is possessed by this stupid uncontrollable thirst for vampire's blood, they have sick Nadia in the next room and she just can't get Klaus out of her mind…

Caroline blushes remembering her recent daydreams. Her body aches for his touch, and it annoys her beyond possible. Who the hell he is to keep on torturing her even when he is gone?

Stefan returns to the room, carefully whipping his hands dry with a towel and lowering himself on the couch. Bonny, Tyler, Jeremy and Matt join them in a couple of minutes.

"So", Stefan starts, "Nadia literally laughed in my face and confirmed what we feared most: Katherine doesn't give a damn about her daughter's well-being and she most certainly won't run in our trap to say goodbye in a proper way".

Caroline signs, stamping her feet.

Damon clicks his tongue.

"I could tell you 'I told you' and nothing would bring me greater pleasure, but, guess what… I. Told. You", he says, emphasizing every word.

"What was the point of bringing her here, then?" Tyler asks in irritation.

Matt lets out a short laugh.

"Hey, dude, she turned up at my threshold, told me she was dying and wanted to atone for at least one of sins and then compelled me to remember everything! Not that I could just leave her there, knowing what her mother did to Elena!"

"How did you even get a vampire down?" Damon asks him suspiciously. "Don't tell me you are about to turn into super-hyper-immortal evil guy that we'll have to kill _again_".

"God, no", Matt shakes his head. "I enjoy being human", he admits. "As for Nadia, I did the same thing as last time, when I sent Caroline a message".

Damon raises his brow suggestively.

"What's that?"

"I kissed her".

"Hmm, the boy is learning!" Damon chuckles happily.

Caroline snorts and throws Stefan a significant glare.

"Maybe we should concentrate on how we get Katherine out of _your girlfriend's_ body?" he quickly cuts in, turning to Damon.

"After she bumped me, plotted to kill me and _kissed you_ I'd say she is your probl…hm…girlfriend now", Damon retorts.

"You know it wasn't Elena", Stefan signs.

"But you wish it were her".

Bonnie snorts impatiently.

"Guys, stop it! First we get Elena back and then you can go back to your drama!"

"Any suggestions?" Damon inquires, faking a polite smile.

Bonnie clenches Jeremy's hand and shakes her head.

"I feel so useless", she confesses. "If I were a witch I could…"

"But you cannot, can you? So shut up, witchy, and let big boys discuss their drama", Damon hisses.

Bonnie narrows her eyes at him and tilts her head to the side.

"You know, when you die, you will pass through me. And I can make this experience very miserable. So mind your tongue!

Caroline smiles, watching her friend proudly. And then the smile washes off her face.

"Oh my God!" she says, putting her hand to her cheeks. "I know how we can lure Katherine inside. The cure for werewolves' venom! We'll heal Nadia if Katherine comes to us willingly!"

Damon eyes her skeptically.

"Don't be delusional", he grins. "Klaus won't come running back to Mystic Falls to heal Katherine's daughter. He'd rather snap her neck!"

"No". Caroline gets on her feet and bites her lip. She would never have said it if it weren't for Elena's life. She gets a gulp of air and blurts out, "IhaveKlaus'sblood".

"What?!" Damon shrieks, as others watch her in confusion.

Caroline closes her eyes and murmurs,

"I might have some of Klaus's blood that he left for, hm, you know, an emergency situation".

She cowardly opens one of her eyes and stumbles upon furious Tyler.

"Was that before or after he fucked you in the woods?"

Damon whistles, as others stares at her in disbelief. Caroline turns red from top to toe. She lets her gaze travel from surprised Jeremy to strangely calm Math – looks like he's even trying to smile encouragingly – stopping at Bonnie's face. She silently pleads her to say something, to reassure her that everything is going to be fine, to help her, but Bonnie moves back from her in disgust. And it hurts even more. Caroline was expecting confusion, disbelief, fear, anger after all, but not this. Not disappointment.

"What have you done..." Bonnie whispers with aversion, avoiding looking at her as if she were a leper.

Caroline swallows thick saliva that suddenly filled her mouth.

"My fridge, second shelf", she forces out of herself and flees upstairs, slamming door in her room as she slides down on the floor, sobbing silently.

Bonnie hates her! Her _best friend_ hates her. Oh, Lord, when did her life become so twisted? Where have their trust and devotion and sisterly love gone?! And why, why the hell even though Klaus keeps on destroying her life, she _longs_ for him?

She takes a picture from her pocket, rereading the same phrase for a hundredth time. 'Thank you for your honesty. Klaus'. Sometimes she wishes she had shattered the original instead of a copy. Maybe it would have helped her to lock those memories of him away. But that would mean destroying the jacket as well… It still smells like him. She doubts if the smell will ever vanish. She draws in his scent and puts the jacket on. Who would have thought Caroline Forbes would wear the same clothing four days running?

"Caroline?" the door slightly cracks as Stefan's voice appears behind it.

"Come in", she answers, hurriedly wiping tears off her face and fake smiling a few times. She used to do it when she didn't get along with her mother. After a harsh talk she would go to the bathroom, switch the water at full and cry for a few minutes. And then come back to her room, looking calm and completely at ease.

'So, what's the plan?" Caroline asks quickly, suppressing all his attempts to pity her.

He shrugs his shoulders, sitting on the floor next to her.

"Well, Damon and Bonnie will try to contact the Travelers. They want Katherine dead for unknown reasons, but so do we", he explains. "As soon as we have the knife in our possession, we can only hope that Nadia's coming death will awake some motherly feelings in Katherine".

"Wait. The same Travelers that took your and Elena's blood for God knows what nasty experiment and then helped the psycho doctor inflict Damon? Sure they'll be glad to help, why not?" she replies sarcastically.

Stefan signs.

"I trust them even less than you do, but we have no other choice".

"I get it", she nods, gently squeezing his hand.

* * *

"So, which one of you is going to kill the elusive Katherine Pierce?

She is standing in the doorway of the Salvatores' house, her locks perfectly curled and her lips shiny from a chic lipstick. If anything Katherine doesn't look like she has a dying daughter on her hands.

But she has come – that's good news.

When they were thinking over the best alignment of forces they decided to put Tyler in charge of Nadia and to hide Bonnie, Matt and Jer upstairs to minimize the possibility of them being taken hostages. That actually left Damon, Stefan and her in the front line.

"Surprise!" Damon smiles, shaking a small blood bag in front of her nose as if teasing a dog.

"Give it to me!" Katherine snaps.

"Ah-ah", Damon wags a finger at her. "Come in here and watch us heal Nadia. Your life for hers, remember? Our tame hybrid will be there to make sure you respect the deal, so don't you even _think_ to screw it up. One small bite and your daughter's meaningless life ends here and now".

Katherine curtseys playfully, smirking at Damon, tales a step forward and remarks with a hint of bitterness,

"And I thought you did change, Damon".

"You thought wrong".

"Good", she caresses his cheek and turns round on her heels, walking confidently into the room. "There is something truly irresistible about bad boys, you know. I bet Elena liked you more back then".

Caroline can't disagree. There is indeed something special about bad boys. Maybe it's the way they moan your name when you… Stop, Caroline, forbidden ground.

She opens the blood bag and holds it close to Nadia's mouth as she feeds hungrily. Katherine watches her with curious eyes.

"You know", she finally decides. "First I thought you were just good to be laid, but now… for Klaus to give you his blood… he sees a spirit in you. Pity I can't kill him without killing myself in the process, otherwise I would have used that to my advantage".

Caroline frowns and takes the blood bag away from Nadia's hands.

"You know", she mimics Katherine. "First I thought to let your daughter heal properly, but now… Now I think we'll carry out an experiment – will few drops be enough for the wound to skin over?

Katherine clicks her tongue, moving into the sitting-room and pouring herself a glass of whiskey.

"Time to finish your part of the deal", Stefan says silently and sadly. "Goodbye, Katherine".

He raises the knife and walks towards her, Damon blocking her from behind and Caroline following her moves at the distance.

"Yep, about that…" Katherine clasps her fingers and the door swings open, fierce wind bursting inside.

Caroline watches in horror as a group of teenage girls – some of them she recognizes as her former classmates – comes in. The sharp scent of blood fills the air. They are all bleeding.

"You didn't think I'd come here without a backup?" Katherine wonders, before moving forward in a blur and piercing Caroline's skin with a wooden stake. "Sorry", she smiles unapologetically. "Nothing personal. I've even come to like you!"

Caroline grasps for air, feeling the world crushing around her. Their plan is falling to pieces.

"Stefan".

She coughs thickly, watching through tears of pain as her best friend turns into a monster in a blink of an eye. His fangs extend as he tilts the girl's head and sinks his teeth into her neck. Her pulse speeds up and Caroline hates herself at the moment for this burning desire in her throat, for wanting to join him.

A threatening growl from behind her back makes her spin round. Blood freezes in her veins. Her worst nightmares come to life, those hollow moments of her life she would gladly have erased. She opens her mouth, but can't utter a sound.

Damon's eyes, fixed at the spreading spot on her blouse, are filled with blood and inhuman hunger. He run her into the wall, pressing her tight against it and bites her.

She is back to hell. Her legs go numb and her breathing escalates. She fights him desperately, but knows she has no more chances to win than when she was human. A sobbing plead escapes her lips,

"Damon, stop. Don't! Please, please, stop! You are draining me of blood!"

He won't listen.

The vision becomes unclear, stinging pain twists her insides and the only thing that remains distinct is her scream ringing in ears.

Her hand gropes for a table lamp and then she does what she has been dreaming of doing for a long time: she slaps him hard across the face with a lamp. Damon draws back from her, surprise and anger streaming from his eyes, and that gives her time to shove a wooden stake above his heart and in a swift move pull Stefan away from his innocent victim.

"Look at me!" she screams at him, digging her nails into his shoulders and drawing blood. "Stefan don't you dare!"

He blinks, slowly coming to his senses.

Katherine pushes Tyler across the room as she links her arm through Nadia's and guides her to the door.

No-no-no! They can't let Katherine flee, not this time.

"Matt, now!" Caroline commands.

A big barrel above the door overturns, as Bonnie and Matt pull the levers, and vervain-laced water pours down on Katherine, soaking her through. Stefan drags Caroline back, shielding her from the poisonous spray. Nadia lets go of her mother's hand, screaming something in Bulgarian, and Katherine yells in unison with her when two wooden bullets from Tyler's shot-gun penetrate into her body, burning it from the inside. She digs her hand inside her chest and with a squelching sound extracts the bullets and drops them to the floor, looking like fury.

She makes one more attempt to escape, but runs into an invisible obstacle.

"What the hell?" she exclaims, trying to break through the barrier, but failing.

"You didn't think we'd let you come without a backup on _our_ side?" Damon asks, cocking his head to the side and smiling his most innocent and sweet smile.

_Dhat kann ec it thrithia,_  
Dozens of figures in black cloaks with hoods pulled over their heads show up in the doorway, chanting the spell in unison.  
_Ef mer verdhr thavrf micil_

Katherine squeezes her temples in pain, dashing around the room, shattering everything and knocking against the windows to get out.

"The Travelers… You fools! What have you done?" she screams, breathing heavily.

Caroline turns to look at content Damon – clearly that was his crazy idea. Set one of your enemies against another – an elegant way to get rid of your problems.

"You know nothing about them!" Katherine continues, choking on air, as Nadia runs towards her. "They were a coven of witches once, powerful and self-willed. But Quetsiyah could not tolerate obstinacy. She wasn't a member of the Travelers, she created them! She tied their lives to a person most loyal to her – her servant Amara. The Travelers had their revenge by killing Quetsiyah, but they couldn't shake off her curse. For as long as Amara's blood flows in somebody's veins they will be banished from traditional magic, from their ancestors!"

"No way", Damon shouts out, coming closer and roughly lifting Katherine's chin. "I know exactly what you are trying to do, deceiving, sly little bitch, but I'm not buying it", he hisses, torching her stomach with the Traveler's knife.

"Go ahead", Katherine whispers hotly in his ear, pressing herself firm against the blade. "One small move and we'll see if your precious Elena survives it. What are you afraid of?"

Damon studies her sternly as she clenches her teeth not to cry out in pain.

"Damn it!" he snarls, drawing his hand aside and dropping the knife.

Caroline grimaces in irritation and suddenly feels a wave of air next to her.

"Stefan!" she screams, as he falls to his knees.

"Oh, looks like… they have found… use… for both doppelgangers' blood", Katherine pants, blood dripping from the corner of her mouth. "They don't… take any ch-chances. Isn't that…" he eyes roll back, as she collapses on the floor, hitting her head.

_Haptz vidh mina haeiptmogu_  
"Mother!" Nadia yells, rushing forward, but Matt, Jeremy and Tyler block her way, grappling her around the waist.

"Get Elena out of her! To the farthest corner of the house on the second floor, their magic will be weaker there!" screams Bonnie at one breath as she hurries downstairs, tucking long sleeves. "I'll deal with them", she promises. "Trust me".

Caroline has no strength to argue with her, she just silently prays for her friend to succeed. After all, it was always Bonnie who would get them out of troubles.

Stefan crawls to Elena, gently turning her body.

"Only after this", he murmurs, plunging a blade through her heart.

Damon growls like a wounded beast, his fist sending Stefan across the table, as he cups Elena's face in his hands, leaving blood traces on her milky skin and softly whispering something in her ear.

"Katherine tried to manipulate you into thinking that the Travelers wanted to kill her and Elena with a knife!" Stefan blurts out as Caroline helps him on his feet. "But why would they need the spell then? The knife is _harmless_ to Elena, but lethal to Katherine! I just got rid of her! Trust me, brother, I _know_ when Katherine lies!" he almost pleads.

Damon lifts Elena bridal style, holding her as the most precious and fragile thing in the world, and turns to Stefan, staring at him with cold hatred in his eyes.

"Good for you, brother", he states. "But if Elena doesn't wake up, you will join Katherine in hell".

"You don't think I'll kill the girl I _love_…"

They vanish upstairs and Caroline turns her attention to Bonnie.

"What?" she blinks, watching her arrange the candles and strewing herbs across the room. "Bonnie what the hell are you…" the answer comes to her before she ends the question.

"I don't have powers to do magic anymore, but I can contact anyone on the other side and borrow theirs".

These words send shill down Caroline's spine.

Out of the corner of her eye she notices as Tyler snaps Nadia's neck and Matt yells at him, lowering her tenderly on the floor, as Jeremy keeps on trying to break the invisible barrier around the house, as Damon vamp-speeds next to her, looking quizzically and hopefully at Bonnie. But this lot doesn't matter now.

"No! No, you… you can't do it, Bonnie!" Caroline bawls, losing the last remains of her control. "It's too dangerous! Bonnie, don't, please, please, I beg you! There should be another way!" she tries to catch her hand, but Bonnie flinches back.

"Don't touch me!" she snaps.

Caroline closes her eyes, feeling a steel hand clench her heart.

"Damon", she whispers, turning to him as to her last chance of dissuading Bonnie.

_Haptz vidh mina haeiptmogu:  
Eggiar ec deyfi _

Stefan's scream of pain smites on her ears, making her blood curl.

"Do what you have to, Bonnie", Damon commands tensely and she nods.

That is the moment when Caroline understands that every gleam of hope is gone.

"Distract them", Bonnie asks, behaving professionally calm and concentrated. "I will need more time".

She upraises her hands and closes her eyes, forcing the dead to come to the veil between the worlds.

Caroline mentally slaps herself, ordering her sensible part to brace up. Bonnie needs her now. She will have time for tears later.

"Blondie", Damon calls her and stretches out a stake, motioning to the Travelers' silhouettes in the doorway. "A friendly advice – aim for the heart".

It takes Caroline a second to make sense of it.

"Wait, distract them by killing them?"

"Yeap, you know, Klaus's style", he waves his hand.

"Brilliant!" Caroline retorts sarcastically.

Her first stake hits the point and the witch slowly slides down. Damon gets two in one time.

The Travelers start to panic, they flounder, look at each other unsure of what to do.

Tyler lets out a cry of triumph, chopping off somebody's head with a kitchen-knife. But his next weapon never reaches its aim, as a dangerously looking man steps forward, stretching his hand and slowly lowering it, forcing the stake to land noiselessly on the doorstep as if it were a mere feather.

"Let me introduce myself", he says politely. "Marcus, the leader of the Travelers. Now, I believe you have my doppelgangers".

Caroline straightens up, feeling Matt and Jeremy silently join them. They all form a line of defense shielding Bonnie from this warlock.

_Minna andscota,_

The Travelers resume chanting. But now Bonnie's voice echoes them, growing stronger.

"I just want you to know, Tyler", Caroline whispers, gathering air in her lungs. "I'm sorry for hurting you".

"He killed my mother, Caroline. Don't expect me to forgive you. Ever", Tyler answers sadly. "I thought you were better than this".

"What if I'm tired of trying to live up to everybody's expectations?! Yes, I slept with _him_, but that was my choice and I don't regret it!"

Tyler looks so utterly confused that she wants to laugh. He expected her to feel guilty for the rest of her life at the very least. Not going to happen.

"If you want to kill Elena, you'll have to kill us first", Matt voices their common thought.

"True. Starting with you", Marcus nods, fetching a gun from the inside pocket and pulling the trigger.

Caroline rushes across, but the bullet reaches Matt first.

His mouth opens in surprise and he lets out a low cry of pain as his heart beat dies down. Caroline bites her wrist and forces the blood down his throat.

"Wake up, Matt! Do you hear me?" she shakes his lifeless body, feeling another scar slowly forming on her immortal soul. "You are not dead! You are not…" her voice betrays her.

_Phesmatos Tribum, Exum Sue…_

Blood streams from Bonnie's nose as she chants the spell and all the Travelers cry out in pain, powers leaving them. Some fall dead immediately, others are lucky enough to run a few meters, others crawl on their knees like beaten dogs, hurrying to get away.

Marcus hisses in pain and disappears in the fog, red flames following him.

_Redem Supas Quo!_

Bonnie finishes the spell with an inhuman scream and everything explodes around them.

The blast wave throws her back and she lands on her stomach, sharp pieces of glass sticking into her skin, the cascade of sparkles burns her eyes and the smoke makes her cough.

But her fear for friend is stronger than this pain.

"Bonnie!" she call out, blinking and spotting her body in the dark. "Oh my god, Bonnie!"

She rushes forward, kneeling beside her best friend and listening to her heartbeat.

"S-she's dead", a low shaking voice tells her.

"No!" she slaps her hard and tries to open her eyes with trembling hands.

"She's…" the voice tries once more and she turns to him, letting her fangs drop.

"She. Is. Not… Jeremy?"

He doesn't look at her. He sits in the dust, his knees to his chest, and he doesn't take his eyes from Bonnie's body.

Caroline embraces him, dandling him softly like a child and letting him cry.

"She is dead!" he sobs and Caroline's heart breaks in two.

"Shh", she whispers unable to find the right words to comfort him. As if there are right words at all!

"She doesn't hate you", Jeremy says suddenly, raising his eyes at her. "She said it before she… She was still alive for a few seconds, but there was nothing I could have done!"

"I know, Jer, I know", she says, fighting tears. She has to stay strong. For him, for Stefan, for Elena.

* * *

"Hey", Caroline smiles entering the room and giving Elena a warmhearted hug. "How are you?"

"Perfect", Elena smiles back. "Can't wait to see all of you: Bonnie, Tyler, Matt!"

Caroline casts Stefan a hurtful look, but he shakes his head a little.

"Yeah, sure!" Caroline replies lubberly and steps back, as Elena embraces Stefan and comes closer to Damon, caressing his cheek with tenderness.

"Elena, wait", he says, talking a deep breath. "There is something you need to know".

"Don't", she softly interrupts him, pressing a finger against his lips. "I missed you…"

She leans forward and kisses him softly, savoring the moment.

Caroline rolls her eyes at that and takes Stefan's hand to lead him out of the room.

With a smacking sound Elena draws back from Damon for a moment and looks to the side.

"What? What's wrong?" he whispers breathlessly.

Caroline tenses and slows down, not turning round.

"Nothing. I love you", Elena replies, bringing her lips to his.

Damon hungrily kisses her back. Without a warning he bends her arms and smashes her into the wall, squeezing his hand around her neck.

"You bitch!" he growls.

"What the hell?"

Stefan runs into the room with Caroline following him closely behind.

"Let her go!" he orders Damon threateningly, shortening the distance between them.

"Relax, brother!" mocks Damon, almost repeating Stefan's words. "I wouldn't hurt the girl I love, would I? Katherine on the other hand…"

"Katherine?!" Caroline snaps. "Oh, you must be kidding me!"

Fake 'Elena' demonstratively wipes her lips with a hand and smirks, reeling a lock on her finger.

"Tsk-tsk, do I kiss better than my doppelganger? Sure I do", she replies herself.

"I staked you!" Stefan exclaims.

"Well", Katherine stretches herself, tilting her head from one side to another. "A witch – a Traveler to be more exact – tied me to Elena's body permanently, so even now, when you staked me", she sends Stefan a murderous glare, "I'm still here. Though now Elena might interrupt our conversations from time to time, quite inconvenient I must say, I _will_ eventually return', she licks her lips and turns to look at Damon. "You must know how hard she fought when I kissed you… I can make her see things now, you know?"

She silences for a moment, her eyes changing colour, and then tears start pouring down her cheeks.

"What's happening to me, Damon?"

"I'm sorry, Elena, I'm so sorry", he keeps on saying as a mantra.

"Hey, we'll get rid of her", swears Stefan and Caroline forces out a confident smile.

"Shut up!" yells Elena smashing the window and biting her fist. "Stefan, make her go away, please! It's like a virus in my head, poisoning my mind… She's talking… _Stop talking_!"

"What is she saying?" Caroline inquires. If there is any way she can help Elena, she will.

"She is lying", shakes her head Elena, rubbing her temple as if listening to her own mind. "Throwing at me some crap about you sleeping with my mortal enemy!" she scoffs in disbelief and Caroline bites her lip, looking pleadingly at Stefan. "I don't even have mortal enemies! Well, except for Klaus, but…" she slows down, raising a brow and eyeing Caroline suspiciously. "Care, why are you blushing?"

Caroline lowers her gaze.

"I'm sorry, 'Lena", she whispers.

"No", Elena shakes her head. "Caroline, you couldn't, you wouldn't! Not after what he did to us, to me, to", her voice breaks, "to Jenna".

"I know, ok? And I'm sorry for the pain I caused you! But that was my choice. The difference is I understand it is wrong and that's why I send him away and you keep on pretending like everything is fine with Damon wiping out _families_!" Caroline screams eager for her best friend to understand. After all, she has one less best friend now.

'No, no thinking about Bonnie', she orders herself. If she just lets her time to think that she'll never see her smile again or talk to her or beat her in a pillow battle…

"Damon is a thousand times better than Klaus!" defends him Elena.

"Can't help but agree", intervenes Damon.

"Leave, Care", Elena says with tears in her voice. "I don't even know if I'll be able to look at you without disgust ever again".

She takes a step back, than another one, still not averting the gaze from Elena's eyes.

A weak "bye" is everything she can utter at the moment as she flashes out of the house, running at top speed, as Stefan calls something after her.

The cold wind is penetrating through her skin, the rain beating down in her face mixing with salty tears and branches leaving blooded cuts on her face.

She stops on the highway, her legs giving away as she falls on the wet asphalt, beating it senselessly.

Tyres creak as a car pulls up, illuminating her figure with headlights. A taxi driver bends over her, asking her something in a worrying tone.

Caroline jerks her head and looks him directly in the eye, saying distinctly,

"You will let me get in the car and you will drive straight, taking me as far from this town as possible. You will drive fast, ask no questions and you won't remember this talk later".

Her pupils dial, as she compels him. He repeats it obediently, and Caroline crawls on the back seat, opening the window as wide as possible and putting her face to the wind. Her phone rings and she hesitantly presses the green button.

"Caroline!" the relieved voice on the other side exclaims.

"Stefan… I…" she breaks into tears again. "They are all dead! Bonnie and… and Matt! And Elena hates me! And Tyler! Oh my god, I don't know what I am doing here! I don't even know what I am living for now!" sobs escape her throat as she struggles to take a breath and fails.

"Where are you, Care?" Stefan asks after a pause.

"I'm leaving Mystic Falls, Stefan", she coughs, suffocating for a breath.

"Good. Stay out of here, ok? There is something wrong. The Travelers must have had some success with their spell. I'm dying, Care".

"What?" she whispers.

"A slow form of desiccation. A month left at the utmost. I don't want you involved, not this time", he explains with genuine concern. "We are all so royally fucked up, Care. I can't risk your life. Anyone's but yours".

"You are not dying!" Caroline screams frantically, tears streaming down her face and blood from beaten lip dropping on her chest.

"Farewell, Care. Be happy", he wishes and hangs up.

"No, no, no!" she yells, grasping for air, and then orders the driver. "Turn around".

"What?" he asks in confusion.

"Turn around!" Caroline screams. "We're heading for New Orleans…"

**So, liked it/hated it? Eager for Caroline to meet Klaus?** **Leave me a review!**


	4. Chapter 4

**I'm really, really sorry for the delay, but I was terribly busy. Hope it was worth the waiting. Enjoy!**

**Chapter 4.**

The air is filled with anxiety. New Orleans doesn't sleep at 3 a.m. In, fact, Klaus sometimes feels like it never sleeps. Late tourists, newlywed couples, drunken street gangs of "tough" guys wander aimlessly the streets, lost in their thoughts and disoriented by vivid night life.

Klaus leaves the bar unnoticed and crosses the street.

"Call the best private physician", he commands, not ever bothering to turn round – he knows Elijah is following him close behind. "And I need a powerful witch".

"Might be a problem", Elijah remarks. "Considering you have just killed four of them".

Klaus stretches an arm and stops the approaching car without slowing down. His actions leave a distinct handprint on the hood of the car and the driver speechless.

"Send out a word – Klaus Michaelson needs a favour and he needs it fast. Whoever proves to be useful, will be rewarded beyond imaginable. I bet we'll have a bunch of witches at our doorstep within a couple of hours", Klaus waves his hand, encouraging Elijah to follow his order, and vampspeeds to the mansion.

Hayley is lying on the bed, sweat pouring down her face, her pale fingers clench to the sheets soaked with scarlet blood, as she breather heavily, suppressing moans of pain.

He slowly approaches her, as a servant girl, Mary, wipes dry her face with a sponge.

"It is my fault", Hayley confesses almost inaudibly. "I was too reckless, I thought I heard someone call my name and I turned round and I lost my balance and I fell and…" her words sink in incontrollable sobs. "The baby, I think it turned round and I need to get it back into head position!"

"The doctor is here", Elijah announces, entering the room and holding the door for a tiny middle-aged man with eyeglasses on his nose and a long beard, almost touching the floor. "Everything will be alright", he reassures Hayley with a smile and she grimaces, bravely letting out a small one in reply.

"Move, monsieur", the doctor scolds Klaus and lifts Hayley's sleeveless shirt, examining her stomach professionally.

With one hand he adds some pressure to her lower part, with other he opens his medical suitcase and extracts some creepy apparatus. He tsks and shakes his head as the fetal heart detector starts peeping.

"Give her these pills, no water", he instructs Mary, giving Hayley an injection, and gestures for Klaus and Elijah to follow him out of the room.

"What?" Klaus snaps impatiently, but the doctor takes his time, rubbing his glasses and signing.

"Miss Marshall's blood pressure rate is extremely low, whereas the cerebrospinal fluid pressure apparatus shoved that…"

"Cut it short", Klaus proposes menacingly and the doctor sighs again, obeying.

"She is in critical state", he explains. "We cannot move her or postpone the birth. Nor can I turn the child into the right position because of the internal bleeding. The pelvic presentation leaves only one option – Cesarean section. With practically no anesthetic, we are running out of time. This will give the baby more chances to survive, but in miss Marshall's current state… I can give no guarantees. On the other hand, you may decide to sacrifice the fetus and save the mother. You have to make the choice. And you have roughly two minutes while I go down and collect my other instruments".

Elijah closes his eyes. The thought that was poisoning his mind for month, an unclear fear, a presentiment he was refusing to indulge into, was finally consuming him. His worst nightmare has come true. Now again he had to choose between his brother and the girl he holds dear.

"Now, let's inform the wolf-girls of our _mutual_ decision", Klaus says, amplifying the word 'mutual'.

He storms into the room, as Elijah grabs his hand and shoves him into the wall. Klaus holds his chin up. He sees desperation in Elijah's eyes, combined with silent plea and hope. His brother's pride won't let him beg for the girl's life, but there is still a part of him that believes that Klaus might actually care for her. Wrong.

Klaus lets his fangs drop and wrenches his arm, making Elijah hiss in pain.

"If she has to die experiencing the pain of thousand women for the baby to be born, rest assured, brother, she will", he whispers.

"It is not your decision to make!" Elijah shouts, straightening up.

A soft moan startles them.

"No, it's mine…" Hayley manages to say, wincing and arching her back.

"No", Elijah cuts her short, coming closer and kneeling beside her bed. "You don't have to do it, Hayley".

"You don't understand", she bites her lip, caressing her belly. "This is about my daughter. I'll do anything for her. I won't let her down".

Elijah kisses her finger one by one and bows his head, stepping back. As they exit the room Klaus hears a faint 'I hate you, Klaus Michaelson' behind his back. He smirks.

"You can tell me this tomorrow, sweetheart", he teases.

"Fuck you", are her last words that reach his ears.

* * *

Hours pass in silence. Four empty bottles of scotch on the floor – one for every sixty minutes of endless screams coming from behind the closed door. Poor to the very brim, clink glasses, drink in silence. Klaus recalls that was the way they used to do shots with Kol. Poor, clink, drink. Repeat till all the problems are gone.

The front door cracks and Klaus leans back in the armchair, enjoying a fresh bunch of grapes.

"No, please, please!" Hayley cries upstairs and Klaus feels almost relaxed – that means she is still alive and so is the baby.

"Nik?!"

"Little sister", he exhales, his tone anything but welcoming. "I thought you were smart enough at least to realize that 'dawn' implies the rising sun. Seeing as it is shining through our window…" he trails off, giving her one last chance to get out of his way before he changed his mind and daggered her for the next thousand years.

"You are delusional if you think I'll leave you now", Rebekah replies confidently with her hands on hips.

Klaus rises swiftly on his feet, standing in front of her in a second and cupping her chin. His reflexes were in no way affected by the alcohol.

"Are you so foolish as to…"

"It stopped", Elijah interrupts him and swallows hard, putting his glass aside. "The screaming stopped".

* * *

Looking back now, Klaus realizes he knew it all along. Not the moment they saw Hayley's lifeless body, her thin hand hanging of the bed. Not the moment Rebekah's eyes filled with tears as she reached out to hug him and he flinched away. Not even the moment when the doctor, looking at least ten years older, exited the room and lowered his gaze, quietly offering his condolences or when they were running to the first floor, jumping over two steps at once.

No, he knew it his whole life. He was cursed. Banished from any chance of happiness, from even a glimpse of normal life. Everyone died around him: Henrik, Finn, Kol, his child… He ruined everything he touched, everyone he loved. Maybe Michael was right after all, maybe they would have been better off without him.

He gulps another full glass of scotch, feeling warmness spread across his body. No taste, no aftertaste – now the only thing he needs is oblivion.

Rebekah finishes off the witch, who swore to keep Hayley alive during the operation, as Klaus rips the doctor's head off and passes on to a warlock who as well couldn't keep his promise. Shame on him.

Elijah returns within an hour, his eyes dry and his hands not shaking. His suit looks perfectly fine, except for one spot of dirt – must have gotten some earth on himself while digging a grave. The house is quiet – as if the wolf-girl and the miracle baby never ever existed.

"Fantastic, I was just going to question our dear _guests_", Elijah mutters, seeing the bloody mess on the floor.

At this very moment Rebekah drops her victim and blood from the wound on her neck splashed on his shoes.

"Opps", Rebekah chuckles, trying to get up and ending up on the sofa, her legs far too spread for this kind of a dress.

"I know you probably have no wish to talk at all, but we need to discuss something. It's urgent", Elijah tells Klaus and shoves his legs off the sofa.

"Please, big brother, do tell us", Klaus invites him, returning his legs in the initial position.

"This witch's name was Mariam. And before you, dear sister, drained her, she managed to inform me that Hayley's state wasn't caused simply by her… carelessness. Powerful magic was involved, a witch that didn't want the child to be born. She most likely caused the fall in the first place and she prevented the child from healing. So I decided to carry out a little investigation".

Klaus draws forward, catching his every word.

"I figured out", Elijah continues, clearly satisfied he managed to grip Klaus's undivided attention, "that since we killed the four witches, their powers should've returned to the three sacrificed girls, minus Monique, of cause. However, they are still undoubtedly dead. Power like that couldn't have just disappeared, so I took the liberty of checking other witches in the Quarter. And that was when I stumbled across a problem – there are no more witches in the New Orleans. These two don't count", Elijah adds as he casts a quick glance on the dead bodies on the floor, while Rebekah ungracefully flops down and checks the witch's pulse, sighing in displeasure at failing to find it.

"What exactly are you implying on, brother?" Klaus inquired impatiently. "Who could handle that much power at once?"

"That is precisely what I'm asking you, Nicklaus", he says, weighing every word carefully. "Name me the witch powerful enough to carry out this kind of plan and hating you enough to invent it in the first place".

Klaus's eyes widen as realization hits him.

"Impossible", he hisses. "I made sure she rots in hell for eternity".

"Well, seems like she has found a way out", Elijah replies.

Rebekah hiccups and covers her mouth, asking demandingly,

"Who the hell are you talking about?"

"Our beloved mother", Klaus answers constrainedly, clenching his teeth. "I believe it's time we paid her a visit".

They dig out a coffin in a record time. And of cause, it turns out to be genuinely and perfectly empty. Back in the house Klaus grabs a bottle and throws it into the fire, while Rebekah crushes everything that accidently gets under her hand. As the door opens with a bang and Marcel enters inside Klaus can't help but feel relieved – he needs a distraction and torturing his former friend should suffice for a while.

"Well, well, look, who decided to show up!" he smirks, playfully shifting a stake from hand to hand. "I imagined by now my sister would have already informed you of my murderous mood. Truth to be told, I expected you to flee from the city in fear for your life".

"I would", Marcel confirms and then makes himself comfortable in the armchair, boldly pouring some whiskey in a glass, "if I could".

"What do you mean?" Elijah intervenes, exchanging a concerned look with Rebekah.

All the booze and drunken fun seem to have worn off.

""There is an invisible barrier that doesn't allow supernatural creatures to leave the city. Any supernatural creatures", Marcel specifies, raising a glass. "Care to enlighten me who you made angry this time?"

"Shit", Klaus curses, feeling the situation getting out of his hand. "Thanks for encouraging news, mate", he snarls sarcastically as the doorbell rings hesitantly. He gets on his feet and heads towards the door. "Who did the devil bring this time?!"

He almost tears the door off hinges and freezes for a moment, unable to form words.

She is standing in front of him, her eyes red from tears are fueled with determination and inner light, her delicious flower scent still prevail over the heavy smell of dust, blood and sweat and her shy smile leaves him breathless.

"Caroline", three small syllables roll of his tongue and it's enough to turn her world upside down.

"Hi", she replies weakly as her eyes close and she faints.

Klaus catches her before she hits the floor and gently lifts her up, her arms on his neck, his – under her body. She opens one eye and murmurs something about being able to walk on her own and he just smirks, when she orders him to put her down. Even in half-conscious state she tries to sound bossy.

Caroline curls into his chest and inhales his scent – good God, she missed it so much! Her hands reluctantly let go of him as he lays her on a soft bed, carefully examining her for any possible injury. And then disappears only to come back in a second with a blood bag. She licks her lips, nods, thanking him, and presses the bag to her mouth, barely restraining from moaning as sweet blood pours down her throat.

Klaus's eyes turn darker as he watches her feeding. There is something primal about it, something unnerving and exhilarating. Something that makes him crave to join her so much that he finds it hard to refrain from finding a random human and sharing a drink with her.

She leans back against the pillows, her urge for blood now overshadowed by uncertainty. She opens her mouth, but Klaus doesn't let her say anything.

"Rest, love", he advises. "Whatever it is it can wait".

Caroline's lips form a small grateful smile, she closes her eyes and takes slow breathes, calming herself. These days were like hell on earth, she doubted she'd make it out alive. And yet, here she is – in New Orleans, so close to the only person she was determined to avoid for the rest of her life. And even worse, in his house, in his bed… Wait, what?!

Her panicked voice reaches him as Klaus touches a door-knob.

"Whose room is this?"

He chuckles.

"Klaus! Whose room is this?"

She tries to sound indifferent, but he senses a growing disapproval in her tone.

"Yours", he whispers, knowing she'll hear, and whooshes away, before she can ask anything else.

Caroline glances around the room, noticing it looks a lot like the one in her house. She can't stop her lips from breaking into a smile.

* * *

Klaus casually goes down the steps and settles in an armchair, as if nothing has happened.

Elijah clears his throat.

"May I inquire…" he starts politely, but Marcel interrupts him.

He is not the one to pay attention to good manners.

"What the hell was that? I mean I'm cool with you doing whatever you want in your house, but we all just spotted something blond – or should I say _someone_ blond – on your hands, and you are sitting here like nothing strange is happening!"

Klaus doesn't react to Marcel's emotional speech, only gives a slight wrench of his shoulder, warning him to keep silent. It's quite ironic, in fact: although he wants nothing more than to have Caroline by his side, right now he wishes she could be as far from this damned city as possible. He mentally curses Esther and all her guts as he remembers Marcel's words about the barrier. Fantastic, because of him she's just walked into a potentially deadly trap.

"Nicklaus, maybe you'll do us a favour and…" Elijah tries once again.

"Answer the fucking question!" Marcel raises his voice. If there is something he truly hates – it is being left in ignorance.

Something forcefully hits his shoulder and makes him take his eyes off Klaus. He winces, extracting a piece of glass from the wound. Elijah brushes aside the remainder of the flute.

"Next time you interrupt me, I'll tear out your tongue", he calmly tells Marcel. "So, brother, what was that blond surprise that seems to have captured all your attention?"

"It was not a surprise", Rebekah rolls her eyes and hammers out with disgust. "It was Caroline".

Marcel blinks, missing the point, but Elijah's face reflects some recognition.

"Miss Forbes? One of Elena's friends? Why is she here?" he asks in confusion.

"I invited her", comes a deep voice from the opposite side of the table. "And I suggest you watch your tongue, Marcel".

"So you heard me. Nice to know", he answers sarcastically.

"Why would you invite the girl to New Orleans, Nicklaus?" Elijah asks quickly.

He knows the best way to get information out of his brother is to shot at him direct questions one by one. Then there is a chance he won't be able to come with a believable lie in time.

Marcel eyes Klaus from head to foot as he struggles for an answer and smirks.

"Oh man, don't tell me we'll have to play nice so that you could get into her pants!"

"No", Rebekah's abrupt voice cut him off, her eyes widen as she carefully observes Klaus's reaction. "He already did, didn't you, Nik?" she raises a brow, daring him to object.

He takes a sip of liquor and smiles at her graciously.

"Don't be ridiculous".

"Come on, I've known you for a thousand years, I can tell when you are hiding something!" Rebekah exclaims, a skittish smile forming on her lips. "I thought she'd never give up to you. What did you do, compel her?

"No, he didn't", comes a confident answer.

Caroline is standing on the upward step, her arms crossed on her chest in a protective way and her chin high up – she won't let anyone look down on her. She takes a step and staggers, her hand gripping the railing.

Klaus flashes to her in an instant, cautiously supporting her.

"You should be resting", he tells her with reproach, but she shakes her head and lets go of his arm.

"I didn't come here to rest, but to ask you for something", she whispers in reply.

She somehow decided that doing it in front of his family will give her more chances to succeed. At least, if Klaus refused her, she could offer his siblings something – anything for their help. Now, looking at Elijah's politely indifferent and Rebekah's annoyed faces, she doubtes it was such a good idea.

Elijah stands up and shakes her hand politely. Marcel reluctantly rises on his feet under Klaus's persistent stare.

"Miss Forbes, I'm happy to meet you".

"Me too. And it's Caroline", she answers with no sign of smile.

Marcel hold out his hand, but Klaus pulls it down and taps on his shoulder.

"This is Marcel. My minion".

Caroline snorts, but decides against teasing him.

"How are your friends? Mister Donovan, miss Bennet… miss Gilbert?" Elijah inquires politely.

Caroline bites her lip, but manages to keep blank expression on her face.

"Dead. But thank you".

Klaus winces at her tone, as Elijah's lips part and he asks in a stained voice,

"All of them?"

"No, Elena is alive… at least for a half", Caroline tries to explain, taking a full glass from Klaus and noticing her hands are shaking. "You ex, Katherine-the-bitch, is possessing her body as a Traveler".

"Wow, seems like Mystic Falls is getting more and more lethal every year. No surprise you decided to move to New Orleans, leaving your dear friends behind", Rebekah speaks up, turning to face her and slowly getting up.

"Care to know how Matt died?" Caroline asks closing the distance between them.

"Entertain me", Rebekah hisses.

"Quickly. And he didn't say your name before the end".

"That's a pity. But I don't think he said yours either", she narrows her eyes.

Caroline breaks their eye contact first and turns found, looking directly at Klaus.

"The Travelers put a curse on Stefan. He is desiccating, slowly, but inevitably. And I need you to help me find a witch, the most powerful one", as Klaus keeps silent, she pleadingly add, "Please".

Klaus exhales sharply. She doesn't understand. His child is dead; the witches' communities all over the country revolt because of the failed ritual and dead girls; their city is in a trap and, worst of all, there is Esther on a loose, plotting his demise. His ripper will have to take care of his problems on his own.

"Why should we do it? How do we benefit from it?" Rebekah's cynical voice makes Caroline lose it.

"Oh, I don't know! Let's think", Caroline puts a finger to her forehead, imitating feigning frenetic thinking activity. "Hmm, maybe you'll 'benefit' from saving the man you used to be in love with not so many years ago? You know, do one decent thing in your whole life unselfishly?"

"If I spent my life saving all men I used to be in love with, I'd have to found a charity fund. I'm done being good", Rebekah licks her lips and titles her head, stepping over the dead body and making a hole in it with her heel.

Caroline feels sickness rise in her throat and panic flood every fiber of her body. She has just lost the ally she was counting on so much. She helplessly turns to look at Klaus, than shifts her gaze to Elijah.

"You can't leave Stefan to die!" she exclaims, trying to reach them.

"My sister is right – I don't see any benefits for our family", Elijah states. "I'm truly sorry".

She wishes to turn found and walk away from them, to say, 'I don't need either your help or your fake pity', but she knows nothing about supernatural world, she won't be able to find a witch on her own. None of her friends are going to die. No more.

"Please, please, save him", she practically begs. "I'll do anything you want!" tears of desperation fill her eyes.

Elijah exchanges a thoughtful glance with Rebekah and hesitantly proposes,

"Well, we could use her to spy on…"

"Enough!"

Klaus cuts him short.

"You won't use _her_ for anything, Elijah", he warns in cold voice, barely controlling his rage, "I'll find you a witch, love".

Caroline nods, hating him for making her stoop and feeling relieved at the same time. She mutters, "Thank you" and vamp-speeds to her room.

She closes the door and falls on the bed, wiping the tracks of tears from her cheeks as she listens to the ongoing conversation.

"Nik, what the hell…" she hears Rebekah's complaining.

"Shut up or I'll make you", follows Klaus's answer and the last thing that comes to Caroline's mind before she dozes off is: he really does have some sibling issues.

* * *

Caroline is in his every thought. She invades his dreams, making them tense and exhilarating, but the sweeter the dream, the tougher the awakening. She invisible follows him in reality, close behind but still so far. Her luxurious taste, her mouthwatering smell, the feeling of her hot milky skin against his, her body trembling under his arms, soft moans escaping her lips surround him day and night. He's learnt to live with a craving for blood, but he can't cope with his craving for Caroline. Especially now that she is so close, but beyond his reach.

He hears her shy steps as she goes downstairs, biting her lip and checking her surroundings. Her shoulders relax when she decides there is no one here.

Klaus sits still in the armchair, smiling. She can't sense him a few meters away. Her reflexes leave much to be desired. He'll have to work on it.

"Where are you going, love?"

Caroline flinches and takes a deep breath, turning round. She initially hoped to _come back_ before he noticed. Great. Now she understands why Klaus stopped Elijah. She would make a terrible spy, that's for sure.

"Hmm, out?" she proposes, unsure of what else he wants to hear.

"You don't say", Klaus chuckles, matching her tone.

"Well, actually, I was planning on buying a whole new wardrobe and a pair of circling-irons since, you know, my clothes…" she looks at the jacket's sleeve dangling in the air and adds in horror, "do not even look like clothes anymore!"

"You look ravishing", he immediately responds.

Caroline rolls her eyes.

"Stop it. You promised, remember?" she reminds him accusingly.

The smile on Klaus's face grows wider. He walks around her and stops behind her back, bringing his lips closer to her ear, clearly invading her privacy.

"I promised not to return to Mystic Falls. I never said anything about trying to win you over".

Caroline blushes and takes a step forward, making a mental note not to turn her back to him.

"Whatever", she replies, regaining control, "I don't like the way I look and I'm going shopping".

She takes a door-knob, but Klaus flashes in front of her, making her release it.

"What's wrong?" she asks suspiciously.

"You can always order something on the Internet. I'll pay", he offers, already knowing he's losing this battle. With her all his plans and prepared phrases go to hell.

Caroline shakes her head.

"Why can't I leave the house? Tell me, Klaus, now!"

Women do have a way of complicating everything. He can't lie to her.

"You see, love, one super-crazy and super-powerful witch has started a hunting season with my family being the main target. I believe it's safer for you to stay inside", Klaus tries to sound as confident as calm as possible, bet her eyes still widen in shock and fear.

It takes Caroline less than two seconds to guess the witch's name.

"Oh my god, Esther", she whispers.

He nods, confirming her suspicions.

"How is that even possible? Wait, that's why you make this guy – Marcel, Rebekah and Elijah stay here? And that's why you agreed to help me find a witch! You desperately need her yourself!" Caroline starts going back and forth, musing. "Yes, that makes sense! But you know what – quid pro quo. I'll help you defeat Esther and you'll make the witch save Stefan, and Elena, and cure Damon! Deal?"

Caroline holds out a hand, shining like a diamond. She is back on the safe side of win-win relationships and deals. She'll owe him nothing.

Klaus smiles wryly.

"No, Caroline. I don't want you involved in any of this. You will stay here until Elijah and I fix everything", he says firmly.

She shortly laughs.

"No!" her scream must have woken up the whole quarter. "I need to make sure everything will go according to the plan. For Stefan. There is absolutely no way I'm sitting idly in your creepy excuse for a normal house like some prisoner awaiting its sentence! I want to help!"

"Out of discussion", he presses. "You are not going anywhere".

Caroline lifts her heads, throwing him a murderous glance, but Klaus doesn't look away.

"Fine", she forces out. "I won't impose my help. But I won't stay here either", she walks past him and throws over her shoulder. "Hope you remember my address in Mystic Falls. Make sure the witch gets in time after you are finished here".

"You can't leave, Caroline", Klaus tells her as she approaches the door.

"Watch me", she hisses and starts opening the door.

His hand pushes it back.

Caroline loses her temper. Is he thinks he can order her around like one of his minions…

She turns to face him and instantly realize it was a huge mistake. He is too close. His dark eyes, blazing with tenderness, passion and irritation, leave hot marks on her body.

Two can play this game.

She closes the distance between them so that her chest is almost touching his and brings her lips close to his ear like he did earlier. Her eyes unwillingly shut. They haven't been so close since…

His hand touches her hip and travels higher, stopping at her waist, while his other hand leans against the wall. Her breathing ragged, her heart beat accelerating like that of a normal human.

"Let me go", she whispers in his ear.

"Never", he replies quietly and they both know it's not just about Esther.

"Why?"

Klaus looks at her intently, trying to figure out what answer she expects.

"Mother has put a barrier around the city", he finally decides to say, "No supernatural creature can leave it".

She whimpers and steps aside, licking her lips. His hands fall down.

"Caroline…" he tries once again.

"No", she interrupts him. "I know what you are trying to do, you are trying to protect me, but I won't stay here a hostage while everyone else risks their lives. I can't leave the city, I get it, but it's you who won't let me leave _the house_. I don't need to be protected; I'm capable of defending myself".

Klaus shakes his head.

"You wanted a deal love – here it is: you stay inside and do not meddle with this witchy stuff and I help your friends".

"What is I don't agree?" she tests him.

"Then Stefan will die", comes a simple reply.

Caroline looks at him in disbelief, disgusted by indifference in his voice.

"Hostage it is then", she replies and with no more words disappears upstairs.

**Yes, I did it - I killed both Hayley and the baby. Don't hate me too much for that) I really can't imagine a baby in a vampire story (or in a show for that matter) and I have no idea how to develop Hayley's character. As for Klaus and Caroline, they will go slow. Both are too stubborn and have unsolved issues.**  
**Please, review!)**


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